On High School

"You get a strange feeling when you are about to leave a place. Like you'll not only miss the people you love, but you'll miss the person you are now, at this time and place, because you'll never be this way ever again."- Azar Nafisi

The things that matter the most always turn out right in the end. So maybe the things that go wrong or don't work out really only mattered for a short time anyways.

Anything can happen. You can struggle (and struggle......) in a class you thought would be so easy. You can wait for something to materialize and watch it fall to pieces. You can lose people very close to you unexpectedly. Life is like that, and unfortunately, high school is too. But always remember, anything can happen.

Boys will come and go, but girlfriends are forever. I never dated or "talked" to anyone and never went to prom either and my senior homecoming (you can pick your jaw up off the floor now). And no, I don't feel like I missed out on anything. I have wonderful guy friends that I wouldn't trade for the world and while being the eternal third wheel was/is not fun at times, I've never had to avoid any boy in my grade either. I am the guy's girl and it's always better in my opinion to hold their respect. My best girls (you know who you are) are the ones I have stuck it out with practically my entire life. We may have drifted at parts, but it's funny how the right friends always come back to you.

Don't do the things you think you should do. Do the things you want to do, when you want to do them, and the way you want them done.

Be who you are and be in love with yourself. This took me lots of tears and three long years to figure out that people actually liked the more YSPy side of me and that I was well liked. Self-esteem was something I really did struggle with for awhile, and I do wish that I had realized sooner that people will still love you even if you think you're really weird. 

On the flip side, keep changing. Try new things, talk to new people, read a different book, take a challenging class. My best friends now are people I once thought were way cooler than me (and yes, I used to be that shallow. Shame on you, little Royar).  Strike up a conversation with random people. Say hi to everyone you pass in the hall. Some of my best friends now are people I thought were too cool to talk to a loser like me didn't even talk to at the beginning of senior year.

The days and nights that turn out not in your favor are there to remind you of how good it feels like when it all falls into place.

Find your rock. Your rock should not be a person; it should be something that will never change. It makes you come alive and fulfills whatever your passion. Exercise is that rock for me, and at the lowest times in my life I've turned to it. The darkest times in my high school years were definitely the times I wasn't being active. No matter what was happening in my life or who my friends were that year, running was always the same. One of my biggest regrets of high school was not running cross country all six years and quitting lacrosse in tenth grade. I truly wish I hadn't given up. 

Grades matter, but what you learn and how you use it matters most in the long run. Maybe I never will have to use my knowledge of Ronald Reagan's initial bid for the governorship of California or do a statistical ANOVA again, but I firmly believe that what you learn about learning and yourself in the classroom are what matters most. I know how to push myself to learn things and how to adapt to teachers who TOTALLY don't jive with my learning style.

I think I summed it up best in my charge to the upper school during my last chapel: 

The work never ends, but high school does. 

Love your classmates, thank your teachers, be good people.

I honestly don't think I would change much about my high school experience. I wish I had worked a little harder freshman year and been more open with people, but hindsight is always 20/20. I think what matters most is not what you do, but what you learn from your actions. This year has shown me that hard work pays off and that being yourself might not be the absolute worst thing in the world.

xx

New Lilly Planner

Y'all know how obsessed I am with my planner, and it's time to reorder! The new Lilly prints came out a few days ago and I'm stuck between two patterns!

I love this print and it's super pretty!

but.....I love elephants and I have nothing in this print and I'm going to Alabama....

I need to decide pretty soon so I can preorder, and if you order through Lilly it's free shipping!

What print are you getting?

xx

College Thursday: WorthyStyle’s go-to list for freshmen (Part I)

Today's College Thursday post comes from one of my favorite bloggers and fellow Virginian, Whitney from Worthy Style!

Hey y’all! So I have had a lot of fun following Royar’s blog the past few years, and

especially thrilled she is headed to Bama (ROLL TIDE!), where my Mom went to grad

school. I am a Virginia native, twenty-something, with parents who both went to undergrad

here in Virginia (JMU and W&L). I followed what has traditionally been, in my family,

a predominantly male tradition of boarding school. I attended boarding school for my

sophomore through senior years of high school, and learned a lot. I think boarding school

amply prepared me for life on dorm, as it did not faze me whatsoever. I told Royar about

many ideas I had of things to pack for her dorm room, as I learned them from my seven

years living in a dorm or apartment!

The following items I highly suggest you adding to your dorm shopping list. If you or your parents have Ebates, now would be a good time to go ahead and order everything (that is a referral link where you get $5 for my referral). It saved my family a lot of money shopping for school this way. Then you can enjoy your last summer at home before college.

First of all, make yourself an emergency kit. Royar is moving into tornado alley, but I know I was at Randolph-Macon for only a month when we got hit with a hurricane that campus closed for TWO weeks. So, have your parents get you a weather radio, some of those cell phone/iPad boost chargers, some batteries, and an LED flashlight. Go to Target and buy one of their emergency kits in the pharmacy section and place it with the other items. Put them in a strong box, like a fireproof safe you can stick under your desk or under your bed (unless you loft it). Another option would be one of those heavy- duty aluminum train cases you see makeup artists use. Something you can carry if necessary is best! Another item to pick up in the pharmacy? Advil, Tylenol, Aleve. They are good for different things. Roommates will love you for having these, too. Advil is good/safe for preventing hangovers (take 1 or 2 with a bottle of water before going out), Tylenol for general headaches, Aleve for muscular pain. Then you can keep yourself going regardless of your circumstances. Some schools close their Health Center on the weekends so it is good to have some basics for the time being.

Are you a light sleeper? I am, but I am also highly affected by light as well. I made do with generic nylon eye masks for years, but now I swear by this eye mask from Magellans. Gwyneth Paltrow wrote about it on her goop newsletter and I purchased it in black. It is $16 well- spent! Another bed-time savior of mine is a noise machine. I love it and normally a roommate is receptive as long as you tell them about it ahead of time. Pick a sound together that you both are good with (ocean waves is what I have always found best for all) and set it up so it is more on your side of the room.

A drying rack sounds weird, and it kind-of is, but it can also be a life-saver. Some dorm rooms require endless amounts of quarters to dry your clothes. If you are not in the laundry room drying your clothes yourself, you might walk in to find your items in a damp pile – unceremoniously plopped on the counter. Save some $$ and keep your cute clothes safe with a drying rack! When the dryers in the dorm are full, you will love this thing. The foldable kind is good as once it is done drying you can stick it back in your closet or under your bed.

Another item is a behind-the-door shoe rack. Some dorm rooms give each student a small closet with door on either side. Other schools only have open space inset into the wall with a hanging rod so you have to figure out what to do on your own. A behind-the-door shoe rack could be hung on the door to your suite-style bathroom, on a curtain rod, on the door to your closet, or even on the end of one of your bunks. It is such a space-saver. Instead of dealing with a bunch of boxes you can stick your Rainbows, Tory Burch Revas, Jack Rogers, and Sperrys and keep them off the floor.

Here are some other incidentals that are great for your desk area

• Power strips 
• Surge protectors for everything (seriously, anything worth $$ should go in one) and also helps with us ladies sharing one room and using a hairdryer, straightener, curling iron, etc. 1-3 extension cords 
• A lamp that clips onto things. Great if you are going out and your roommate is staying in, and she wants to sleep. You don’t want the entire room to be lights out and want to be able to find your stuff, so that is where this helps. Also, a book clip light is great, too. LED lights are powerful and last a long time. If you stay up late studying or get up early to study you can clip this to your book and highlight or catch up on class reading in bed or at your desk.

I hope you all find these ideas to be helpful! It is really only the first year that getting all of

this stuff makes move-in stressful and expensive. As long as you are buying these items in

relatively neutral colors, they should last all four years you are in undergrad. Pretty great

argument to make for the parents, right? I will be sure to include more tips in my next guest

post, especially including items such as fashion and beauty products to make your life easier

on dorm.

Thanks so much Whitney! xx

The Endless Summer

So now that school is over, graduation is in two weeks, and I have no serious commitments in the foreseeable future, I'm going to take a little break.

I'm a little more burnt out than I thought I was, and it kind of hit me yesterday as I drove home from downtown after having lunch with a friend. I literally couldn't convince myself that I had nothing to do  yesterday afternoon and today. 

I went out and laid by the pool and read US Weekly. It. Was. So. Weird.

That, and the fact that I literally cannot read a page of a book to save my life right now, I'm putting myself on a little technology/blogging/etc vacation for awhile. I need to enjoy these next few weeks, not enjoy thinking about the blog posts I'm going to write about them.

The in-between life is weird, but I can't say I'm not enjoying it already!

Friday Five

1. Today is my first official day of summer! I'm working at my internship this morning and then it's off to the beach this afternoon!

2. Love this quote I found on Pinterest the other day!

3. So obsessed with this picture from Lilly!

4. I just ordered this dress from Just Madras! I think it'll be perfect for one of my grad parties!

5. I still haven't seen Gatsby yet, shame on me, but I LOVE this song by Lana. The video is perfection.

The One That Got Away

While searching for white dresses to wear to a grad party of mine next week, I stumbled across this beauty from Anthro.

How gorgeous is this? Sadly they're sold out of almost every size, so I guess this is the one that got away!

xx

HS Thursday: Senior Year

1. SAT | This is the last time you'll ever have to take it! Working hard in September means you don't have to take it again in November or December!

2. Apply to College | Take your time with your applications and let your essays if you have to write them reflect who you truly are - admissions counselors want to learn about you!

3. Senioritis | Yes, I did get senioritis a little early since I did get accepted to Alabama before I even started senior year, but it didn't really hit me until a few weeks ago. Grades are still important and will still count until you get your diploma! 

4. Enjoy it | Senior year goes by so fast (cliche, I know), but this year has been truly one of the funnest. Everything kind of came together for me this year, and it was definitely my strongest academic year. I became close with some of my favorite people in the world, and our class really bonded.

xx

Kate Spade Surprise Sale!

SURPRISE!

Kate Spade is having a sale today and tomorrow and there are so many cute items!

I love the jewelry they have on sale right now, and such good prices: Small Ring, Armadillo Earrings, Spotlight Studs

I love the Janelle too!

Happy Tuesday! Today is my last two AP exams! Wahoo!

xx

T-Shirt Day

Every year, on the last friday for seniors, we all wear our college t-shirts! It was so surreal to finally put my Alabama shirt on that's been hanging in my closet since I went back in February!

I'm going to miss my besties so much next year! 

"We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere." 

Happy Monday!

xx

TFW // Mother's Day

kind of obsessed with this for this week.

--

Also, a big happy mother's day to all the momma's out there and especially to my awesome mom! You're pretty cool.

xx

The Good Hair Day

A few months ago, Brian at Misikko contacted me about reviewing the HANA 1" Flat Iron. I very happily agreed and a few weeks later a GORGEOUS package arrived at my doorstep.

Silly me forgot to take picture of when I straightened my hair last week, but in short, it works REALLY well! My hair is really thick so I had to do it in chunks, but it left my hair feeling super smooth and shiny! Many thanks to Brian and the Hana team for a great product!

Have a great Saturday!

xx

Friday Five

1. Last week, I gave blood for the first time since I went to India! It always makes me feel good and it is a very needed resource in our country! Please go HERE to find out how to donate!

2. Today is college shirt day and I am a little obsessed with my outfit for today. Unfortunately, I have to spend all morning taking an AP, but then it's a fun day!

3. This weekend I have a small obligation on Sunday and spin tomorrow morning, but other than that I am wide open! Unfortunately I will be studying most of the time for my two exams on Tuesday, but I might have to sneak outside to lay out a bit!

4. When I was looking for shorts to wear on t-shirt day, I stumbled across these new Callahans. How precious are they with the fireworks and fluorescence?

5. This might seem like a very "un-Royar" dress, but I'm kind of obsessed with this dress from ASOS. What do y'all think? Could I pull it off with my Jacks?

xx

HS Thursday: Junior Year

1. Polish That Resume | Now is the best time to polish your resume and get the club presidencies, leadership roles, and get everything in order for senior year.

2. APs | Look at taking an AP or two if colleges that you're interested in will give you credit for them. If all goes well, I will have 21 credits to go to Alabama with next fall!

3. SAT | Start getting ready for the SAT! I took my first one in March of my junior year since I was missing the May date, but the May SAT is a great starting point for your first test

4. College Tours | Start to narrow your schools down to 5-7 that you can tour. I knew that Alabama, UGA and USC were at the top of my list, and I applied to Alabama and UGA knowing I would go to either one.

5. Work Hard | Junior year is TOUGH. Go look at any of my old blog posts and you can see I was stressed out of my mind. But it was fun, and it really pays off in the end!

xx

HBD, RSL

A big happy happy birthday to my brother, RSL, who turns 23 today!

xx

Just Madras

Last weekend, I hosted a trunk show for Just Madras at my school's field day!

Thursday night I came home from spin class to some very nice packages on my front porch!

I spent Friday afternoon setting up,

and had a little creative block for displaying some ties, and ended up polishing silver at midnight Friday night!

I had SO much fun selling all day on Saturday!

I wore the Skipper Dress all day and I absolutely loved it - perfect dress for summer and grad parties!

xx

AP Exams

Happy AP Exam Week y'all!

Best of luck to my fellow high schoolers who are taking exams this week and next! I'm not going to lie, I'm going to be a very happy camper next Tuesday afternoon when I'm finished!

My three essentials for the next two weeks, which are all mutually exclusive: sleep, focus, and caffeine. I almost missed my AP Euro exam my sophomore year by oversleeping because I didn't get enough of the first, had too little of the second, and too much of the latter! Especially if you're taking in an exam where you've been in a class all year for it, like I am for one of mine, sleep will definitely be better than studying at a certain point. I definitely reached that point last night!

Here's to hoping to many 5's on July 5th!

xx

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo y'all! I won't be partaking in any Mexican tonight as I have my first AP exam tomorrow, but tomorrow night will definitely be a celebration!

xx

MAY

If I had to name the perfect month, it would probably be May.

There's so much going on, the weather's warm, and it means that school is almost over!

I have so much to look forward to this month, especially Field Day at my school, my APs being over, school ending, beach and boat days, and then Graduation which finally means....

SUMMER!

Do you have anything exciting this month?

Friday Five

1. In the past three days, I've turned in my final paper, project, and taken my final psychology test of high school! Yay for almost being to AP exams!

2. With decision day this week, our last senior speaker, and getting stuff ready for graduation, it's starting to hit a little more that I have 9 days of senior year left. It's just so darn bizarre.

3. I'm unfortunately babysitting Saturday night so I won't get to don my derby hat and dress, but I'm still really excited to watch The Kentucky Derby - it's a little like The Masters for me. I think the pre- and post-game are the best parts!

4. Tomorrow I'm hosting a trunk show for Just Madras at my school's field day and I'm sosososo excited! I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight!

5. Good luck to everyone studying this weekend for APs or finals and taking them in the next two weeks!!

xx

High School Thursday: Freshman // Sophomore Year

Since I casually only have three Thursday's left of high school, I'm taking a break from the College Thursday to take a trip down memory lane of high school. It's a little weird to think that I started this blog my freshman year and that I've kept it going for all four years.

1. Branch Out | High school is a fresh start so use it to expand your social circle. Try a new club or a new sport and talk to everyone. I really wish now that I had branched out more and not waited until junior or senior year.

2. Develop your study methods | Figure out what works and what doesn't work. This is time when it's okay to make a few mistakes that won't absolutely ruin your GPA or transcript. Sophomore year, think about taking an AP or two, since they definitely help!

3. College | Realize that college will eventually be on your radar but cherish the time that it isn't, aka Freshman Year. If you're super smart, or your school makes you, take the PSAT. It definitely helped me. But don't stress. Sophomore year, you can start to prepare a little bit more, think about what you want in a school towards the end of the year, and if colleges visit your school, go see them! I met my Alabama rep/admissions counselor my sophomore year and we kept in touch. She's now writing me a sorority recommendation and I've loved seeing her all three years.

4. Interests and Strengths | Start to realize what your interests are in and strengths are, and develop them! Don't ignore your negatives, but playing up your assets now will help a lot when it comes to apply to college, etc.

5. Lay groundwork | Do your homework, play sports, become well rounded. Freshman and sophomore years are when club leaders, sports teams captains, and SGA presidents are made.

My freshman year of school was different since our freshmen are still in the middle school (don't ask), so I didn't have the typical first year of high school experience. It was still great, but I  felt very removed from "high school" until sophomore year. Sophomore year I did the whole sports/homecoming/musical deal and it was such a fun year without the stress of college, but still being in the oldest division in school.

Next Thursday, back to funnest year ever Junior year!

xx

The Planner

Rabbit, Rabbit y'all!

I get a lot of questions about how I organize my planner, and I don't really have a system, but I like to use different colors so everything stays separate. I love to decorate it whenever I'm bored in class or whenever I have something big coming up!

I do think the Lilly Planners are a little awkward in their timing of August to December, but it is nice to be able to pencil things in far in advance!

The stickers are the best for decorating everything and I highly recommend getting the extra packs!

At the beginning of the week (much like my room and sleep schedule), my planner is really neat and organized but by the end as you can see below it gets really messy, but it is fun to be able to look back at!

 

Dixieland Monograms is currently taking pre-orders for planners! There are going to be six prints available - I'm thinking Tusk In Sun! Many thanks to Jessica over at Preppin' Postgrad for the tip!

xx